Proditor : Book 5 of the Heku Series
Page 32
“Let me go,” Emily yelled at him.
“Nice try, Sweet Cheeks,” Mark chuckled, and threw her down the stairs. She cried out, but Silas caught her before she could fall.
“She gets no food until the Elder says,” Silas told the guards.
Silas put Emily in her cell while Mark went and got Sam out of his. Emily watched as they walked him up the stairs and she felt a brief pang of guilt as she imagined them using those medieval torture devices on him.
Emily laid down on the hard bed and covered up with the soft down blanket. Despite the hardness of the cot, she was soon asleep.
“Hello, Sam,” Chevalier said. He was leaning up against the wall in the interrogation room, dangling a Spanish flayer in his hands.
“Chevalier,” Sam said as he was roughly pushed into the room by Mark.
Kyle smiled, “Have a seat. We have some questions for you.”
“You don’t need to torture me. Emily has given Chevalier the same rights that she has. I cannot lie to him,” Sam said.
“This is much more fun though,” Chevalier said. “Plus, I don’t feel like playing 20 questions to find out what it is you’re up to.”
“Suit yourself,” Sam said.
“We can start off simple, have a seat,” Chevalier said, motioning to the wooden chair that Emily had tried to sit in earlier.
Sam sat down nervously, and watched as Kyle fastened his wrists and ankles to the chair.
“Where have you been for 4 years?” Chevalier asked.
“I’ve been watching over Emily.”
“That’s right. She said even when she was away for 2 months by herself, you were watching?”
“Yes”
“And when she was scared and in pain from the pregnancy, you didn’t contact her?”
“No”
“What exactly had to happen to her for you to intervene?” Chevalier asked.
“Any interaction by a non-human, and I would have stepped in,” Sam explained.
“I heard you tell Em that you think it would be best if she left the kids here and went back into the mortal world alone,” Kyle said.
“Why is that?” Chevalier asked.
“It’s true, she belongs in the mortal world, and her children aren’t mortal, so she would need to leave them. If you really care about her, you would kick her out,” Sam said calmly.
Chevalier frowned, “You’re so far off.”
“You’ve changed though. Emily said you aren’t acting quite right,” Mark said.
“Emily is severely depressed, and needs to find her way in this world without you… to make it better,” Sam told him.
“Severely depressed?” Silas asked, frowning.
“Let her go,” Sam said seriously.
“You’ve never mentioned this before,” Chevalier said. “Why now? You disappear for four years, and suddenly, you want Emily out of our lives?”
Kyle walked behind Sam’s chair and turned a large crank. Thin, sharp spikes appeared from the tiny holes and pressed against Sam’s soft flesh.
“Wait… wait…” Sam said nervously. “I’m not lying. I feel it’s best for her.”
“I still want to know why the change of heart,” Chevalier said.
“I’ve always thought this,” Sam said, a sweat forming on his brow from the spikes pressing into his back and legs.
Kyle shrugged and turned the crank one more full turn. The spikes rose from the tiny holes, and blood began to drip from the chair as Sam screamed and pulled against the restraints.
“You know what I like about this chair? It doesn’t kill them,” Mark said, leaning back against the stone walls.
“Stop… please stop,” Sam groaned.
“The problem is… we don’t know what to ask to get what we want,” Chevalier told him. “So until you start spilling it… well… spilling something other than blood, then we’ll stay.”
“I don’t have anything to tell you!” Sam said, and then screamed as Kyle turned the wooden crank again, sending the spikes another inch into Sam’s flesh.
“Hrm, familiar blood smells weird,” Silas said, wrinkling his nose.
Sam’s screams turned into a feral hiss as his body transformed into a cat, and he limped over to the corner under the chair, his claws out and his back arched. His ragged clothing still hung from the chair.
“That’s not going to save you,” Chevalier said, and Silas blurred from the room. He returned a short time later with an old cast iron Dutch oven. Mark grabbed Sam by the scruff of his neck, and shoved him into the pot, then locked the lid down and Kyle lit the fire in the fireplace.
Angry hisses sounded from the Dutch oven.
“What happens if he turns into human form in there?” Mark asked.
“Hrm, guess we’ll find out,” Kyle told him, and hung the Dutch oven over the flames.
The Dutch oven’s lid flew off as Sam’s human form scrambled out of the fire, panting.
“Answers that,” Silas said, laughing.
Chevalier grabbed Sam by the back of his neck, threw his clothes into the fire, and shoved him down onto the spiked chair. He quickly fastened the restraints again as Sam screamed in agony.
Chevalier went over and stuck an iron poker into the fire, “You know how I feel about people messing with my wife.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide, “Don’t… please…”
Kyle turned the crank to its fullest. The spikes sunk two inches deep into Sam’s back and legs, “So tell us.”
Sam screamed and fought against the iron restraints, the electrodes connected to them not needed against the familiar. Blood again began to pour from the chair and pool on the dirt floor beneath it.
“There are just too many reasons to torture you,” Chevalier said, taking the red-hot poker from the fire. “You kept Allen’s heku change from us, you turned Emily over to the Valle for torture, you let the Encala burn her farm, and then joined them and told her secrets to them.”
“It was for her own good. All I want is to help her,” Sam whispered, the pain making it hard to speak.
Chevalier shrugged, “Then you disappeared for 4 years while we all thought you were dead.”
Sam’s eyes grew wide as Chevalier brought the glowing iron poker closer to him.
“Stop, please, stop… I’ll tell you,” Sam said.
Chevalier touched the end of the poker to the back of Sam’s knee. The smell of burning flesh filled the small interrogation room. Sam’s screams were silent, mere whispers as his voice gave away and the pain continued.
“Start talking,” Chevalier said, and returned the iron poker to the fire.
Sam’s head fell limp against his chest, “Stop, please.”
“That’s not what I wanted,” Chevalier said, and backhanded the familiar. Blood splattered against the back wall, and the force of the hit pushed Sam further into the spikes.
“I’m…” Sam whispered. “I’m not Emily’s familiar.”
Kyle frowned, “Ulrich has another heir?”
Sam nodded his head, “Yes.”
“Keep talking,” Chevalier growled.
“His… eldest living… is a son,” Sam groaned. “All of Master Ulrich’s children were killed by the Valle… except the two.”
“How many children did he have?” Kyle asked, confused.
“Hundreds,” Sam said, spitting out a mouthful of blood and teeth.
“Was he an incubus?” Mark asked, his eyes wide.
“Don’t talk about Master Ulrich like that!” Sam snarled.
“Guess so,” Silas said, surprised. “How could the Valle let an incubus into their faction?”
“I’m guessing that’s why his children were killed, to keep it a secret,” Chevalier said, irritated.
“So you rightfully belong to the eldest son?” Kyle asked.
Sam nodded.
“That son would be a mortal then, right?”
“Yes,” Sam said.
“What does that one son have to do with Emily
?” Chevalier asked, and drew the poker out of the fire.
Sam screamed, “Don’t! Not again!”
Chevalier touched the poker to the exposed skin on his stomach, and inhuman screams filled the room. After only a few seconds, Chevalier returned the poker to the fire.
“Please, no,” Sam whispered, trying to catch his breath.
“Don’t make us ask… tell us…” Chevalier growled.
Sam began to cry softly, “The son is a prisoner of the Valle, kept in a coven in Iceland. After Ulrich’s death, the son was my master.”
“Keep going…” Kyle hissed when Sam paused.
“They make the son tell me what to do, and I obey. Their orders were clear… at first it was to befriend the Winchester, and then my orders were to take Allen,” Sam said, soft enough they had to strain to hear him.
Chevalier growled and backhanded him again.
Kyle held Sam’s head up to face Chevalier. His eye was swollen shut and his cheek was swelling with the broken cheekbone.
“My… new orders… were to…” Sam said as blood poured from his mouth, “Get Emily out of the Equites.”
“This entire time you’ve been working for the Valle?” Kyle growled.
Sam nodded, “Yes.”
“Wait,” Silas said, thinking. “If you’ve been keeping an eye on Emily… then you are the one giving information to Exavior.”
Chevalier turned away from the fire and faced Sam again, “Is that true?”
“No,” Sam said, coughing. He was turning pale as the blood slowly drained from his body, the nails still embedded deep into his flesh, “I told my Master, the eldest son.”
“Who, in turn, told the Valle Council?” Kyle asked.
“Not the Council, they don’t know,” Sam said softly. “Exavior is the only one that knows. He is going to take Emily as his mate when she leaves the Equites.”
Chevalier growled, “Over my dead body.”
“He knows… about her age…”
“What about her age?” Kyle asked, confused.
“He loves her.”
Chevalier growled deeply and blurred to Sam. With one fluid movement, he removed Sam’s head and threw it into the fire.
“We’ve let him in the palace, in the castle… we let him spy on her for twelve years,” Chevalier hissed.
Kyle pulled Sam’s body out of the chair and let it slide to the floor, “We all did. He delivered Allen and watched the children.”
Chevalier walked up the stairs and out of the interrogation room, followed by Mark, Kyle, and Silas.
“Sir,” Storm said, walking up to them and ignoring the blood on their clothes. “There’s a problem on the pier.”
“What problem?” Chevalier growled.
Storm took a step back, “The Valle are demanding to see Lady Emily.”
A malicious smile crossed Chevalier’s face, “How many?”
“Four, one of them is a member of the Council.”
“Let them in. I’ll meet them in the conference room in twenty minutes,” Chevalier said.
“Right away, Sir,” Storm said, and blurred away.
“Get out of the bloody clothes and get Em out of prison. Meet me in fifteen minutes in the conference room,” Chevalier said, and disappeared up the stairs.
The other heku blurred away.
“Em?” Silas said from the cell door.
Emily turned toward him as he opened the door, “Is he here?”
Silas nodded, “Yes, he’s coming to the conference room.”
Emily stretched, her back sore from the hard cot, and then got up and followed Silas to the conference room. She stepped in, still wearing the heavy blanket over her shoulders, and sat down. Chevalier kissed the top of her head softly when he walked in and sat down beside her. Mark and Kyle came in next, bringing hot coffee, bacon, and eggs with them for Emily.
“Where’s Sam?” Emily asked, taking the hot coffee in her hands to warm them up.
“He’s dead,” Chevalier said. “This time for good.”
Emily nodded and took a sip.
“Are you ok?”
“Just cold.”
There was a knock on the door and Kyle opened it. Storm was standing before Exavior and three Valle guards, who were surrounded by island guards.
“Come… sit…” Chevalier said to the Valle, and Storm bowed and shut the door after they entered.
Exavior moved quickly to Emily and knelt down beside her, “Are you ok?”
“Of course,” Emily said, raising her eyebrows. “Just tired… it’s 4am.”
“I thought you were in prison.”
“Why would you think that?” Emily asked.
Exavior stood up and sat at the table across from the Equites.
“So, why are you here?” Chevalier asked, crossing his hands on the table.
“We came to do a welfare check,” Exavior explained.
“I’m not in jail,” Emily said, smiling. “Your informant was wrong.”
Exavior frowned, “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“We know all about Sam,” Chevalier said. “How he’s not her familiar, and has been feeding information to the Valle.”
“What?” Emily screamed and stood up. “I think that violates the ultimatum.”
“Wait!” Exavior said, and then calmed himself. “Sit, please.”
Emily stayed standing and crossed her arms, “Violation of the ultimatum…”
“No it didn’t. We aren’t hurting you,” Exavior explained. “Plus, this started long before the ultimatum was given.”
“You’ve been spying on her in secret for twelve years?” Kyle growled.
“Yes, I have,” Exavior said, and smiled. “It was no coincidence that I was at the New Mexico wedding. It’s come in handy, and has done no harm.”
Emily glared at him, “I don’t care what you say. The punishment for breaking the ultimatum is now coming.”
“Wait,” Chevalier said, holding up a hand. “Let’s not jump to that.”
“No, no more talking, the Valle broke the agreement,” Emily said, and started out of the room, but Mark stepped in her way.
“Please, just stay,” Mark said.
“No, and you have my permission to tell the Encala that the Valle broke it,” Emily said, and turned to them.
“Don’t leave because idiot here messed up,” Kyle said softly.
Emily glared at Exavior, “He’s not going to stop. If he’s been following me for twelve years, then there’s no chance of ever getting the peace that the agreement was meant to bring. Now get Mark out of my way before I ash all of you.”
Chevalier nodded at Mark and he stepped aside. Emily stormed out and slammed the door behind her.
Chevalier turned on the speakerphone and dialed the three Councils. He ordered an immediate session with all three faction’s Elders within the hour. He thought he could stall Emily that long, and needed all factions present. They all greed when he mentioned that the ultimatum had been broken.
“Get every guard out there, patrol the streets, the walls, the castle… triple the guards in the prison, and double it in the rest of the castle,” Chevalier said, and left the room.
Kyle grinned at Exavior, “You can stay right there.”
“Em?” Chevalier asked, walking into the bedroom.
“What?” she asked angrily as she threw things into her suitcase.
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck softly, “Don’t go.”
Emily leaned her head back against his chest, “I don’t have a choice.”
“He’s an idiot, you can’t punish the entire species because of Exavior,” Chevalier said.
Emily sighed, “I need to take a quick shower. I smell like the prison.”
She pulled away from him, and he saw that she was tearing up as she disappeared into the shower. Chevalier took the 9mm out of her bag and blurred it down to the safe in his office. He also told Silas to put Alexis to sleep using control. If she was nap
ping, it could buy them a few extra minutes.
Emily took a long hot shower as she got her crying back under control, then came out dressed, and brushed her hair while Chevalier watched from the bed
She started going through a small bag and frowned, “Have you seen my gun?”
“No,” Chevalier lied.
Emily crawled on her hands and knees and checked under the dresser and bed, “Damnit, I need my gun.”
“I haven’t seen it,” he said, and blurred from the room.
Emily looked up when she heard helicopters landing, and then zipped her suitcase shut. She decided to stick with just the .45 that went with her Thukil uniform. She started to tear up again, but was finally able to get it under control.
“Anna?” Emily called out.
“Yes?” Anna said, coming into the room.
“Where is Alexis?”
“Alexis is napping, and Allen is out with the guards playing baseball on the north lawn.”
“Allen’s here now?”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
“Wake her up and get Allen in here to pack,” Emily said, and started hauling her suitcase down the stairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs when she saw all nine Elders looking at her.
“Damnit, Chev, it’s not going to work,” she said, and passed them with her suitcase.
“We just want to talk,” Quinn said, watching her struggle with the suitcase.
“Silas!” Emily yelled, and he appeared at her side.
“Yes, Em?”
“Put this in my truck please, and get the suitcases from the kids when they are done packing,” Emily said, and turned toward the Elders.
“Sure,” Silas said. He glanced nervously at the Elders and then took her suitcase out to the truck. He had brought her truck with the horses and didn’t realize it gave her an easy way off of the island.
“You have about 5 minutes,” Emily said to the Elders.
“Come into the conference room,” Chevalier said softly.
Emily nodded and walked into the conference room, and then sat at the end of the table while the Elders took up the other spots around Exavior. Exavior looked down at the table when his Elders came in to room.
“We’re ready to hear why you are leaving,” William said, watching Emily.
“The ultimatum has been broken by the Valle,” Emily said, and saw the Encala glare at the Valle.